Interview: Mayesta Ewer, Financial Conduct Authority, UK IT Industry Awards finalist
'Through collaboration and data-driven insight, we've made services more accessible, responsive and inclusive’
We talked to the FCA’s Mayesta Ewer about the organisation’s work – especially the IT achievements that took it all the way to the finals of the UK IT Industry Awards 2025.
IT is a vital part of businesses today. It aids all corporate sectors in automating their systems and processes to achieve goals, generate revenue, and lessen the inefficiencies of their work.
The UK IT Industry Awards are the largest and most well-known event in the technology industry calendar. Owned and operated by Computing and BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, the awards enjoy an unmatched level of professionalism and industry knowledge.
This year's winners were announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday 12th November in London, where the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was a finalist in eight categories.
Before the awards, we talked to Mayesta Ewer, Head of Department, Digital Intelligence Solutions at the FCA, to find out more about the organisations's biggest challenges and achievements over the past year.
Mayesta is an accomplished technology leader, with over 20 years of experience working across regulated and commercial environments including aviation, nuclear and defence sectors, known for driving large-scale digital transformation and innovation across complex organisations. With extensive experience in IT strategy, enterprise architecture, and agile delivery, she excels in aligning technology investments with business objectives to achieve measurable outcomes.
Passionate about developing high-performing teams, Mayesta fosters a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and continuous improvement. Her forward-thinking approach and deep technical insight have earned her a reputation as a trusted advisor and visionary in the UK's evolving technology landscape.
Why do you think awards like the UK IT Industry Awards matter?
Awards such as the UK IT Industry Awards play a crucial role in recognising innovation and excellence across the technology sector. They celebrate the people and organisations driving meaningful change, and they help raise the bar across the sector by showcasing what's possible.
For the FCA, they provide external validation of our commitment to using advanced analytics and digital intelligence to tackle real world challenges. These awards inspire further innovation and highlight the transformative role technology plays in safeguarding consumers and markets.
What would winning this award mean to your company?
Winning would be a powerful endorsement of our team's dedication and impact. It would validate our approach, energise our people, and reinforce our commitment to delivering high-quality, product and services. This award would be a powerful endorsement of the Digital Unified Intelligence Environment (DUIE) programme and the FCA’s ambition to become a smarter, data-driven regulator. It would acknowledge the impact of our multi-disciplinary teams who have delivered capabilities that now support over 2,000 frontline colleagues.
Recognition at this level would boost morale and reinforce our commitment to leveraging technology to fight financial crime and protect consumers.
What would you say is your company's proudest achievement over the past year?
The achievements are delivering and scaling three major digital intelligence capabilities:
- Automated business rules engine: Accelerates harm detection and reduces rule development time by up to 90%.
- Entity resolution and network analytics: Enables rapid identification of risks within complex networks, supporting proactive investigations.
- Proactive harm analytics: Incorporates outlier analysis to prioritise risky firms and intervene earlier, preventing significant harm before it materialises.
Through collaboration and data-driven insight, we've made services more accessible, responsive, and inclusive. These capabilities are now embedded in day-to-day operations, marking a step-change in how we use intelligence.
What have been the biggest challenges of 2025, and how have you overcome them?
Delivering new technical capabilities at scale, managing diverse data sources, and deploying solutions rapidly to frontline teams have been our biggest challenges. We overcame these through strong collaboration across data science, technology, and business SMEs, agile delivery, and a culture of continuous improvement.
Our people have bought expertise in analytics, governance, and infrastructure to deliver impactful solutions at pace. We empowered teams to innovate, streamline processes, and foster a culture of shared ownership, bringing creativity, compassion, and agility to every solution.
How do you think the industry has changed over the past year and what changes do you think it still needs to make?
Over the past year, IT and financial services in regulated environments have accelerated the adoption of advanced analytics, automation and AI. There's been a clear shift towards proactive risk management and digital transformation, driven by regulatory expectations and consumer protection needs. However, the industry still needs to improve data interoperability, enhance transparency and explainability of AI models. Greater collaboration between regulators, firms and technology providers will be essential to address emerging risks, ensure ethical innovation and maintain trust in an increasingly digital financial ecosystem.
What do you see as the main opportunities for the industry in the coming year? How do you plan to capitalise on those opportunities?
There are significant opportunities to harness advanced analytics and AI for proactive regulation, improved risk detection, and streamlined operations. Scaling digital intelligence capabilities such as network analytics, and harm detection models, we can deliver faster, more targeted interventions. Investments in technology and talent while deepening collaboration with industry and regulators whilst ensuring innovation remains ethical, transparent, and impactful - ultimately driving smarter regulation and greater consumer protection.